Chico Animal Control
Chico Animal Control is operated under the Chico Animal Services Section of the Chico Police Department. Animal Control is responsible for the following within the incorporated portion of the City of Chico:
- Enforcing all state laws and local codes related to animals
- Picking up dogs running at large
- Enforcing Rabies control and licensing
- Taking bite reports and quarantining animals for Rabies observation
Contact Chico Animal Control
- Call Chico Animal Control at 530-897-4960 - Please leave a message with your name and contact information. Animal Control Officers are usually out in the field, but check messages frequently.
- Email Chico Animal Control at animalcontrol@chicoca.gov - Please do not send urgent requests through email.
Chico Municipal Code
Chico Municipal Codes pertaining to animals, including the requirements for dog licensing are under Title 7. Codes to animals in parks are under Title 12R. Codes pertaining to animal keeping are under Title 19, specifically 19.76.040
Dog Licensing
All dogs over four months of age that have been in the City of Chico for more than 30 days must have a dog license. A dog license can be purchased online through the City of Chico's licensing portal, or in person at the Chico Animal Shelter located at 2579 Fair Street or at Chico City Hall, 411 Main Street. Proof of a Rabies vaccination in the form of a Rabies Certificate is necessary to obtain a dog license. Licenses can be purchased for one, two, or three years, but never for a period longer than the Rabies vaccination is valid.
Animal Control Agencies Outside of Chico
Each City or County is responsible for providing animal care and control for their jurisdiction, it's important that found animals go to the shelter that serves the location where the animal was found. Not only does this ensure tax payers are only paying for animals found in their jurisdiction, it increases the chance of pets being reunited with their owners. For other jurisdictions, not listed below, please contact that jurisdiction's police or sheriff's department for their animal control agency.
Barking Dogs
Chico Animal Services is here to solve your barking dog complaint. We encourage you to work out any barking dog issues with your neighbors. A formal complaint should be filed only after your attempts to resolve the problem have been unsuccessful.
PLEASE NOTE: Not all barking is considered nuisance barking. A dog barking at someone coming onto private property where the dog is located such as a service person, a visitor or intruder, or a dog barking because they are being teased or provoked by someone (other than their owner), would not be considered nuisance barking.
Complaints about barking happening on private property (within an apartment complex or mobile home park) should be handled by the apartment or park manager.
PLEASE NOTE: Not all barking is considered nuisance barking. A dog barking at someone coming onto private property where the dog is located such as a service person, a visitor or intruder, or a dog barking because they are being teased or provoked by someone (other than their owner), would not be considered nuisance barking.
Complaints about barking happening on private property (within an apartment complex or mobile home park) should be handled by the apartment or park manager.
If you feel the barking is truly a nuisance, the first step is to contact the dog's owner. Call, visit or write a letter (posted or mailed) to your neighbor explaining that their dog is barking, and be as detailed as possible using the information from your log. Your neighbor may not even know their dog is barking and quite often this is all that is needed to resolve the issue. Note the day and time you called or visited and keep a copy of the letter you sent for your records.
If your attempts to resolve the barking dog issue directly with the dog owner have been unsuccessful, start a barking dog investigation by filling out a Barking Dog Complaint Form.
You must have the accurate address of where the dog resides on the complaint form. Be advised that once you have filed this form as a complainant, you may be asked to attend an administrative hearing if the person that was cited contests the citation. If you do not attend the hearing, the citation may be dismissed in the dog owner’s favor, ending the complaint process.
Once you complete and submit an Initial Barking Dog Complaint form, an Animal Control Officer will visit the dog owner to make them aware of the complaint. The owner will receive tips to reduce the barking and inform them of the consequences for not complying. Often this may be enough to resolve the barking dog issue.
At the time of Animal Control Initial visit, the owner will receive a Notice of Violation which will give them 7 days to address the barking issues. If after 7 days the barking has not subsided, a barking dog log must be completed by the complainant and sent to Animal Control for review. If that log shows nuisance barking an Administration Citation may be written to the dog owner. Please not that If the barking completely stops or does not happen for a period of time, Animal Control may request a brand-new barking dog investigation be started.
The fine for a violation of Title 7 of the Chico Municipal Code is $75.00 for the first offense, $150.00 for the second offense and $300.00 for the third offense. Each day the violation continues is a separate offense.
If you have questions about barking dogs, please contact Chico Animal Control at 530-897-4960.
Once you complete and submit an Initial Barking Dog Complaint form, an Animal Control Officer will visit the dog owner to make them aware of the complaint. The owner will receive tips to reduce the barking and inform them of the consequences for not complying. Often this may be enough to resolve the barking dog issue.
At the time of Animal Control Initial visit, the owner will receive a Notice of Violation which will give them 7 days to address the barking issues. If after 7 days the barking has not subsided, a barking dog log must be completed by the complainant and sent to Animal Control for review. If that log shows nuisance barking an Administration Citation may be written to the dog owner. Please not that If the barking completely stops or does not happen for a period of time, Animal Control may request a brand-new barking dog investigation be started.
The fine for a violation of Title 7 of the Chico Municipal Code is $75.00 for the first offense, $150.00 for the second offense and $300.00 for the third offense. Each day the violation continues is a separate offense.
If you have questions about barking dogs, please contact Chico Animal Control at 530-897-4960.
Rabies
What is Rabies?
- A virus that affects the brain/nervous system of all mammals
- Transmits when infected saliva enters through a break in the skin - bite or scratch, or fresh wound like a scrape or cut, or more rarely, contact with mucous membranes - eyes, nose, mouth.
- Cannot be passed through contact with urine, feces, or blood of infected animal
- Can incubate anywhere from 10 days to more than a year
- Over 99% fatal once symptoms appear
- Skunks and Bats are the most common carriers of Rabies in California.
- Bats are the primary source of Rabies in Butte County.
Preventing Rabies
- Keep Rabies vaccinations current for all dogs and cats, even if they don't go outside.
- Teach children to never handle unfamiliar animals, wild or domestic, even if they appear friendly.
- Report all animal bites to Animal Control.
For more information about Rabies, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Wildlife
One of the great things about Chico is the diverse wildlife living in and around the community, including squirrels, bats, raccoons, opossums, skunks, snakes, deer, coyotes, and even an occasional mountain lion or bear!
Since wild animals can pose a safety as well as health risk, it's best to admire them from a safe distance, and never try to touch or handle them.
Chico Animal Services does not provide wildlife trapping or removal. For comprehensive information about how to humanely deal with wildlife issues, including animals that have accidentally gotten into your home, please see the link to the Humane Society of the United States in the Resources below. You can also get information there on finding a wildlife removal service that is humane and effective.
Chico Animal Services believes that most wildlife issues can be resolved using non-lethal methods, and encourages people to coexist with wildlife when at all possible. Just removing an offending animal does not address the underlying issues, and will leave a void that another animal will fill. Eliminating food sources and places for wildlife to live are the best ways to prevent wildlife from becoming a nuisance around your home. Some ways to do this are:
Since wild animals can pose a safety as well as health risk, it's best to admire them from a safe distance, and never try to touch or handle them.
Chico Animal Services does not provide wildlife trapping or removal. For comprehensive information about how to humanely deal with wildlife issues, including animals that have accidentally gotten into your home, please see the link to the Humane Society of the United States in the Resources below. You can also get information there on finding a wildlife removal service that is humane and effective.
Chico Animal Services believes that most wildlife issues can be resolved using non-lethal methods, and encourages people to coexist with wildlife when at all possible. Just removing an offending animal does not address the underlying issues, and will leave a void that another animal will fill. Eliminating food sources and places for wildlife to live are the best ways to prevent wildlife from becoming a nuisance around your home. Some ways to do this are:
- Feeding pets indoors only,
- Keeping garbage cans tightly covered,
- Keeping crawl spaces and attic vents secured,
- Keeping trees trimmed away from your home to prevent roof/attic access.
Orphaned or Injured Wildlife
If you find orphaned or injured wildlife, please contact Bidwell Wildlife Rehab. They are an all volunteer organization and not taking phone calls, so please click on the link to their website and fill out the online form so someone can get back to you as soon as possible. While you are waiting, there are links on their website with information on the best way you can help the animal you have found until someone can get back to you.
Animal Intake & Outcome
Annual Reports
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Monthly Reports 2024
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Monthly Reports 2023
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Monthly Reports 2022
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Monthly Reports 2021
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| September 2021 | October 2021 | November 2021 | December 2021 |
Our shelter is committed to saving every animal in our care who can be saved. We do not euthanize healthy or treatable pets even at the owner's request. We only euthanize a pet if:
- A veterinarian has assessed that there is no chance of recovering an acceptable quality of life, or
- It would be clearly inhumane or unsafe not to do so immediately, or
- In cases of irremediable canine aggression when (1) a veterinarian has eliminated medical treatment as a solution: (2) rehabilitation by a specialist in canine behavior has failed; and (3) staff and public safety cannot be reasonably assured, or other management protocols seriously compromise quality of life.
- We have a neonatal kitten program. Neonatal kittens have fragile immune systems and often arrive at the shelter as orphans and with compromised health. We make every effort to treat and care for kittens until they are eating on their own and healthy enough to go to a foster home, but some lives are still lost despite those efforts.
- We accept and provide medical care to old, injured and sick animals. Some do not make it, despite our best efforts.
- We provide a compassionate end-of-life service for members of our community who request euthanasia and could not otherwise afford the service at a veterinary clinic.
- We provide hospice care for animals and are responsible for end-of-life care for that population.
